My collection of vintage lenses and 35mm film SLRs grew over the last two weeks with the addition of an EF-mount Sigma Zoom AF 21-35mm F3.5-4.2 zoom, a Canon EOS 700QD the lens will be mounted on, and an AF Zoom-Nikkor 35-105mm F3.5~4.5 D, which I wanted to test mounted on the Nikon F601, an earlier acquisition.
The Sigma Zoom AF 21-35mm F3.5-4.2, the second in my collection after the initial Sigma Zoom-Gamma 21-35mm F3.5-4, the world's first wide-angle zoom lens, was introduced in 1985 to meet the demands of AF SLR cameras which started with the introduction of the Minolta Maxxum series.
Just as well, the Canon EOS 700 QD, released in 1990 by Canon, was an upgrade of the EOS750/EOS850. Canon's initial development of the EOS series started with the introduction of the EOS 650 in 1987. The EOS 700QD is a frame-and-shoot 35mm film SLR with a range of programmed scene settings and an option of using the camera as a shutter-priority SLR.
The AF Zoom-Nikkor 35-105mm F3.5~4.5 D, developed from an Ai-S version of the same, is a kit zoom lens packaged with Nikon F cameras. The lens is said to be a gem often overlooked by photographers and reviewers during the days of Nikon AF film SLRs. It is a push-pull zoom with a decent zoom range, very well made, and a bit bulky by today's standards, but comes with image qualities that are highly respected. The lens was accoladed by Ken Rockwell in his review here.
The Nikon F601 (N6006 in the US), an earlier acquisition, is a tough bakelite body from the era of the professional Nikon F4 and semi-professional F90x. Introduced in 1991, a couple of years after the F801, the Nikon mid-range came with an improved second-generation autofocus system, motor drive for automatic film advance, a built-in pop-up electronic flash, a top shutter speed of 1/2000 of a second, and a new 'Matrix' evaluative multi-zone metering program.
The camera and lens are a seamless fit, it has one of the brightest viewfinders I have ever come across and it looks all set to be one of my preferred camera-lens combinations.
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